Deep Under the Ground
by randomramblings
Summary: Aragorn and Legolas stop at a town for supplies.An old myth, a mayor on the brink of insanity and a quest to find a relic as well as one of their lives on the line soon entraps them before they can leave…
1. Mud

**Disclaimer: All characters and facts related to Tolkien's works are his.**

**Deep Under the Ground**

**Summary: Aragorn and Legolas stop at a town for supplies. However, a century old myth, a mayor on the brink of insanity and a quest to find a relic with one of their lives on the line soon entraps them before they can leave… **

Chapter I – A Particularly Large Puddle of Mud 

The fallen leaves and twigs and dirt on the forest floor were turning into soggy, brown mush, but unlike Aragorn, Legolas' soft leather boots were not covered in the muck.

Aragorn's foot sank into the mud with every step forward while Legolas' whole weight did not manage to push his feet into the soft earth. The man stared gloomily at his friend's straight back. It was during times like this that he wished he were an elf.

The Prince of Mirkwood's very back seemed to be mocking his mortality at the moment. _Look at me! I can walk on top of mud!_ It seemed to be calling out to the man.

Legolas heard Aragorn grumbling under his breath and a smirk crept over his face. He knew what the man was grumbling about. It was the same complaint when they traveled over snow covered lands. He couldn't help it that he was what he was, could he?

It was at this moment that the heavens decided to wipe that overly contented grin off the smug elf's face. His foot landed on a piece of uneven, slippery ground and he promptly lost his footing and landed face first into a particularly large puddle of sticky sludge that was all too eager to adhere itself to every inch of the elf's clothes and bare skin.

Legolas head whipped around to glare at his companion who had emitted what sounded suspiciously like a stifled chuckle, showering small brown globs everywhere as his filth covered hair swung around.

His fiery eyes dared the ranger not to contain his mirth. In as dignified a manner as one can behave in when covered from hard to toe in a disgusting brown substance, the Prince of Mirkwood scrambled out from the puddle and stalked off in the direction which they were heading in the first place.

They settled in a good sized cave for the night. Legolas found a little stream that ran near by and tided up his appearance. He was just pulling on his undershirt when Aragorn entered with a good sized stack of wood in his arms.

"Pity-" Said the ranger softly as he set to work starting a small fire.

"What?" retorted the elf, sensing that an insult was about to be directed his way, but unable to resist asking.

"I rather thought the color brown suited you, my friend." The ranger replied as gravely as he could, with a straight face.

"Well, next time it rains I'll push you into a puddle of muck and see how well that color suits you."

Aragorn dissolved into laughter. An elf falling was rare. An elf getting himself so dirty was even rarer to say the least. Elves were scrupulously clean as a rule and their very skin seemed to repel dirt. Their long hair was always combed and braided neatly, their clothing were simple yet elegant.

He looked up to see that Legolas was anything but amused. The elf's eyes were downcast and he was fiddling thoughtfully with something that hung around his neck Aragorn fell silent, it was not like his friend to be so quick tempered.

Legolas barely noticed as the noise in the cave faded. His hand had brushed against a light chain that encircled his neck as he fastened the ties to his tunic and the touch of the cool metal had awakened some buried memories.

Finally, his friend's keen gaze cut through the fog of sad thoughts that was beginning to settle upon him and he raised his head to meet the enquiring eyes of Aragorn.

"My mother gave it to me before she sailed." He replied shortly to the unspoken question.

'Do you miss her?" Aragorn regretted the words as soon as they left his lips, he could have struck himself for being so thoughtless.

"Yes.-Yes I do." No irritation or hint of anger laced the elf's voice as he replied.

"Go to sleep Aragorn. I'll take the first watch."

Legolas picked up his bow from where he had rested it carefully against the wall and disappeared through the mouth of the cave.

The stars smiled down upon him from the velvety dark sky above, just like they had for the past thousand years or so. Now, he looked to them for answers, just as he had always done when troubled or upset.

Even after a few hundred years since her departure, the pain of his lost was still fresh in his mind. It was exactly five hundred and sixty four years since she had left these shores for whiter ones. And yet it still felt like it had happened yesterday.

He remembered the troubles he had had with dealing with his grief when he was younger. For a time, his father had been in danger of losing another loved one, but he had pulled through in the end. After depriving himself of food, over working himself in the practice grounds and suffering from insomnia for months he had finally broken down- he had fallen asleep at the table when his father had important guests over. With much love and guidance from his father he had been gently guided away from the path that his beloved mother had walked.

He wouldn't let himself fall into the dark abyss of grief again.

He smiled back at the stars; they had all the answers it seemed.

--

Legolas tugged the edges of his hood forward to hide his fair features from unwanted stares. The gatekeeper barely glanced at them before opening the gates- he was anxious to get back to his warm bed. He nodded his head in the direction of the nearest inn and then shuffled back to his room.

It was late into the night and except for a few drunken men staggering through the streets trying to find their way home, there was no one in sight. They found the inn-Barnaby's Barrel- and the tired looking innkeeper showed them their room.

Soon, Legolas' was listening to the deep even breathing of Aragorn, before he too trod the path of dreams.

**TBC…**

**A peaceful little ending for this chapter- Things get a LOT more exciting in the next chapter though. Stay tuned! Sheesh I sound like a commercial or something. Anyway, hope you stick around, thanx for reading to the end of the chapter!**


	2. A strange Story

Disclaimer: All facts and characters related to Tolkien's works are his.

**Deep Under the Ground**

**Chapter II – A Strange Story**

A boy sat on the floor, clutching his injured ankle. An ugly looking gash stretched from the base of his foot to just above his ankle and blood was eagerly oozing out from it. A small puddle of the red liquid was already forming around the boy's foot, tainting the dirt floor a rusty brown. The boy's face was crunched up in pain and tears were leaking out of his eyes. His floppy dark brown hair had fallen over his face.

Legolas stepped out of the inn and instantly spotted the crouching injured boy. He observed that no one was paying the child any heed and frowned. He strode over to the boys side and gently pried away the boy's fingers to look at the wound. He poured a little water from his water skin over the gash to wash away the dirt on it and pressed a piece of scrap cloth over it to stop the bleeding.

The boy let loose a choked sound and bit his lip hard when the kind stranger pressed against the tender area of the gash.

Legolas bound up the injury with a long piece of cloth that he carried around for emergencies such as these and after drying the child's tears, carried the boy over to his door step which was thankfully nearby.

By the time the elf returned, Aragorn was already standing outside the inn wondering where his companion was.

They made their way back to the gate, eager to continue on their journey. It was when they were passing a stack of fruit piled almost impossibly high up that the unforeseen happened. A man still groggy from last night's hang over stumbled directly into their path.

The elf wrinkled his nose at the foul smell of alcohol which the man reeked of. The man swayed where he stood for a few moments as the world seemed to spin about him and then toppled forward-straight onto the large pile of fruits.

The polished rosy apples rolled down and bruised on the floor, the melons smashed into a mess of pulp when they hit the ground. The man had ruined fruit all over him and set there in a growing pool of the shop owners spoilt goods.

The incensed shop owner stalked out of his shop and seeing his now un-sellable wares glanced around for someone to blame. He saw the man half lying and half sitting on the dirt floor and then turned his head to see the two figures standing nearby.

He stormed over to their side and accused loudly.

"You pushed him!"

"I assure you good sir that we did not. That man is obviously suffering the effects of drinking himself into a stupor- he lost his balance and fell," said Aragorn as politely as he could, trying to placate the enraged owner.

The man did not listen. He turned to the small crowd which had gathered around them and were staring suspiciously at the two strangers. No one spoke a word in their defense.

The livid shopkeeper insisted on dragging them to the Mayor, to whom all such matters of injustice and family squabbles were brought.

Legolas let out a small sigh as they were shoved into the mayor's office. _Brought to see the town's upholder of justice because of some fruit…_ The whole matter would be humorous if they were not involved.

The shopkeeper addressed his problem to the Mayor and demanded that the two offenders be punished.

The Mayor was a stern looking man. He clasped his hands in front of him and transfixed the elf and ranger with a stony glare. He noticed that one of them had his hood up and felt annoyed. _Such disrespect!_

"Show your face to me stranger," he said with as much authority as he could muster.

With not much else he could do, Legolas slowly pulled down his hood to reveal his golden hair and pointed ears.

The shopkeeper gasped in shock and took a step backwards, away from the elf. The Mayor jerked slightly but other than that gave no hint of his astonishment.

He turned towards the shopkeeper and told him to leave them, assuring him that he would deal with these two.

The shopkeeper left the room hurriedly, his mind reeling from the dramatic turn of events.

"I am afraid that things have just been made more complicated. You see, master elf, it would have been a simple matter of the two of you spending a night in the lock up but now… you being what you are… I cannot allow you to leave." The room was silent as the elf and the ranger absorbed the meaning of his words. The Mayor continued before they could protest or ask any questions.

"Almost half a century ago, this very town was attacked by a band of wild men. We had word of their coming and so were able to evacuate the town. We hoped they would see the place was deserted, take what they wanted and leave as in peace. However, that was not the case. We hid in a maze of tunnels that runs through this town and waited for them to leave. Days passed and then weeks turned to months. Our food supply was finite and slowly, we were beginning to starve. Women saw their children wither away into skin and bones and men watched helplessly as one by one their family members died.

Something had to be done. One man was chosen to climb above ground and see what was going on. He discovered that the place was overrun with the wild men. They were ruled by one great leader from whom all commands were taken. He was certain that if their leader was killed, the invaders would leave the town. No one dared to follow him on his dangerous mission to assassinate the leader of the wild men. So he took up his knifes and daggers and set off alone.

No one knows if he managed to accomplish what he set out to do. But a full week after he had left, another scout was sent to see if the coast was clear and found the town deserted once again. The body of the brave man was never found."

"But what has this to do with us?"

"It is said that the wild men hid the treasure they had stolen from other towns as well as from ours in the hill that towers over our town."

"I believe you will find it for us."

"And why would we want to help one such as yourself," asked Legolas tersely.

The mayor did not reply. Guards seemed to materialize out of no where and grabbed the elf and the ranger.

"Lock them up for the night," said the mayor gravely.

--

The walls of the cell were covered in dark green mold and the floor was wet and covered thickly with grime. The air in the cell too was foul and smelt like something had died in there. A pair of manacles hung menacingly from a corner of the ceiling. Legolas stared forlornly out of the single window in the cell and sighed loudly.

Aragorn clasped his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's all just a big misunderstanding, I'm sure they'll release us in the morning." He said in a vain attempt to console his friend.

Legolas nodded and returned to staring out of the window. None of them believed that things would end so simply.

**TBC…**

**Thanx**** for reading to the end of the chapter! Please review!**


	3. Off to find the treasure!

Disclaimer: All facts and characters related to Tokien's works are his.

**Deep Under the Ground**

**Chapter III – Off to Find the Treasure!**

There was something coursing through his veins and it was wrecking excruciating havoc in its wake. He sat there as still as he could, trying not to move. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to breathe normally. His breathing was beginning to come in quick gasps. He leant his head backwards against the cold walls and tried to keep from writhing in pain. A sheen of sweat had already gathered on his face and neck. His whole body was as taut as a bow string from all the tension.

The agony was unwavering in its assault, and attacked the elf mercilessly. He wanted to call out to Aragorn, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would not be able to keep cries of pain from escaping and so he remained motionless, suffering in silence.

Something tugged at Aragorn's mind, calling plaintively to him to waken.

Legolas' face was twisted in a grimace. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were clenched shut. The expression of pain on his face did not flicker. The elf sensed that the ranger had awakened and slowly unveiled his eyes.

He swallowed hard and then managed to choke out a few words," Something…it-hurts everywhere."

The elf was almost hyperventilating and close to panic. He did not understand his sudden state.

Aragorn was helpless to ease his friend's torment.

A burly figure came into view at the front of the cell and stared in at them.

"Hurts somethin' fierce don't it?" he said in his hoarse voice.

"It's a strange thing-it is. Only drawn ta' light, only works when there's light. Poison- some sort of. Enters the blood and-Bam," he punched his right fist into his left palm here for emphasis.

"You're a goner- but not for a few weeks yet anyway-it'll only get worst from here," he remarked wryly, shaking his head.

"Boss says I'm to give ya this. He opened the door to the cell and handed them two packs, a piece of parchment and a vial. He left the door unlocked and departed.

It all made sense now. There was a kind of bacteria in the cell that was only activated by light and the thing emitting the most light in the cell was unfortunately- Legolas, for his skin emanated the phosphorescent glow that was characteristic of his kind.

Legolas emitted a tiny whimper. He was not really aware of what was going on and his pain fogged mind had barely registered the presence of the other man. Aragorn carefully eased the golden head from his thigh and picked up the piece of parchment.

_"You can not begin to imagine the pain your friend must be feeling now. This vial does not contain the antidote. It contains a substance that will slow down the effects of the poison. You have exactly ten days to find the treasure that the men I have told you about hid. Bring back a substantial number of pieces of it and I will give your friend the antidote."_

Aragorn put his hand on Legolas' trembling back and aided him in sitting. The ranger's heart jumped a beat when his palm touched the soaked through tunic of the elf. He coaxed his disorientated friend to swallow the contents of the vial and the elf meekly obeyed. The substance gave a bitter aftertaste but Legolas did not notice.

"Rest a while, Legolas. You will feel better soon." Aragorn hoped fervently that that would be so.

The pain was subsiding albeit slowly. Legolas was leaning shakily against the wall of the cell. He lifted a trembling hand to his brow to wipe away the layer of sweat that had collected there.

Aragorn proffered a filled water skin and Legolas all but grabbed it from his friend, gulping the cool water greedily. After he had screwed back the cork on the water skin and handed it back to the man, he took a deep breath and prepared to stand.

He swayed for a split second before regaining his balance. He still felt a little weak from earlier but felt considerably better now that breathing was easier and his muscles weren't so tense from the torturous passage of the bacteria in his blood.

Aragorn passed him his weapons and pack and together they exited the town prison, heading for the hill whose shadow was looking more foreboding by the minute…

--

"Pass me the map…"

Aragorn handed the crinkled piece of parchment over. He had been poring through it for a while. He glanced at Legolas who was mumbling to himself under his breath.

They were resting on a piece of turf, trying to figure out how to enter the depths of the hill. Legolas was glancing up every so often as though matching the landmarks which he saw with the symbols on the map.

Aragorn opened his mouth to ask the elf if he had found the way but Legolas raised a hand for silence, concentrating fiercely on the map.

A moment later, he was rolling up the parchment and tucking it safely away on his person.

He picked up his bow and checked the position of the sun. Then he headed off in an easterly direction.

Aragorn looked on in amazement and then followed. He almost bumped into the elf when he stopped suddenly and pointed to a messy arrangement of rocks to their right. The rocks were covered in a dark green moss. In their centre, quite hidden from view, was a small opening. Plants and ferns and other vegetation had grown around the opening and leaves and twigs were hiding the hole from view. Perched right atop the entrance was a small bush of a strange species of flower. They were a rusty brown in color with dark red dots edging the small petals. They gave off a sharp musty smell that made ones nose curl in disgust.

They had found the entrance.

**TBC…**

**Hope everyone had a good Christmas!!! Please review! **


	4. Tunnels and more Tunnels

Disclaimer: All characters and facts related to Tolkien's works are his.

**Deep Under the Ground**

**Chapter IV Tunnels and more tunnels **

They hovered around the entrance of the cave- hesitating. Each for different reasons. Legolas because he was loathe to enter lightless, enclosed spaces and Aragorn because he was worried that his friend would suffering a relapse whilst they were in the cave.

The confined conditions and the isolation from the woodelf's beloved trees would be sure to weaken him and the ranger was fearful that the consequences might be dire. But they both knew it had to be done.

Legolas started forward first and loosened some of the thick vegetation with which the entrance of the tunnel was overrun. He slipped through the hole and disappeared from the sunlight.

The great difference between being inside the tunnels and outside in the open was the distinct lack of sound in the former- the sound of light breezes and great gales, the whirring of little insects and the rushing of distant streams as well as brooks in the distance. The quiet voices of the trees as they stood steady and strong rooted in the earth, the rustling of tiny blades of grass on the soft earth. Legolas noted these changes miserably as they moved further and further away from the opening. He took one last longing glance behind him before turning his head firmly forward.

They had walked for what seemed like days, but in truth, according to Aragorn's surmising; only half a day had passed. They sat down to rest, leaning against the rock walls of the tunnel.

Legolas sat very still, as though straining to hear something. His efforts were in vain. He fiddled with the edges of his tunic and let out a small sigh. He turned towards Aragorn, even with his sharp eyes; he could barely make out the man's face in the dark. They were saving matches. Who knew what was ahead? Legolas knew that it was the most prudent thing to do, but the fact did not make it easier for the elf to sit in this dark place.

Aragorn moved closer to Legolas so that his shoulder was touching the elf's, offering what comfort he could by the contact. Inside his head, he was calculating rapidly. Almost a day had passed, which meant that they had nine days more before Legolas relapsed.

"We will find it,' Legolas soft voice sounded unusually loud in the tunnel. He said the words with such conviction that Aragorn could almost believe it, but the treasure had yet to be found.

--

The following day, they found something. Not quite what they were looking for, but it was strangely reassuring too, in a morbid sort of way.

They found the bones of what looked to be a man. He had a spear clutched in his right hand and a knife through his rib cage, above where the heart was supposed to be. They edged their way around his body and continued to follow the tunnel. He must have been one of those thieving, wild men, murdered for whatever small reason that would induce another of his kind to kill.

They were a good distance away from the bones when Legolas suddenly stopped. Aragorn was ahead and did not notice his friend's halt. The elf called out to him and the man hurried back.

Legolas grabbed the torch from the man's hand and rushed off in the direction they had come. When Aragorn caught up at last, the elf was bent over the bones, examining the skeletal hand. He let out a small sound of triumph before standing up and showing the man what he had found. It was a piece of leather on which a map had evidently been marked on.

They moved away from the cadaver once more before stopping to take a closer look at their new discovery. Legolas held the torch close to the piece of leather, and tried to make out its contents in the flickering light of the torch.

"Well?", said Aragorn impatiently after a time.

"It seems we are going the right way," answered the elf slowly.

"And…?"

"Ssh! I can't concentrate with you breathing over my shoulder!"

After a long pause, Legolas finally replied, "Our best bet would be to just walk straight on…there are some spots marked out on the tunnel, but I don't know what it means…"

"I suppose we shall find out soon enough," he added grimly.

--

They might have missed it altogether if Aragorn had not stumbled over a loose piece of rock and fell unceremoniously to one knee. There was a smaller opening in the wall of the tunnel. There was no choice but to get down on their hands and knees to enter it.

Legolas watched as his friend's feet disappeared down the tiny opening. He swallowed, steeling himself for what was to follow. This bigger tunnel was bad enough, but at least he could stand in it. The smaller tunnel did nothing for the slight claustrophobia that was creeping up on the elf this very moment.

Reluctantly, he crawled in after the man. The rough stone was cool under his fingers. Indeed, it had been chilly since they passed through the hole into this place. Legolas suppressed a slight shiver that was edging up his spine…

--

"Sorry!" called the ranger as he accidentally trod on Legolas' long fingers for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Legolas grit his teeth and did not reply.

The tunnel was gradually widening, both in breath and height, a fact which the elf and ranger were heartily thankful for.

The tip of Legolas' bow had been scraping against the top of the tunnel when they were passing through the smaller part of it, producing an unnerving sound that made both man and elf uneasy though they both knew the cause of it. Legolas' overwrought imagination had planted images of bony fingers pawing the hard rock to produce the noise, while Aragorn had imagined that some creature was sharpening its claws against the rock walls.

Both knew that such thoughts were silly but who could help it when trapped inside such a place…

**TBC…**

**Ok, perhaps this chapter was a little pointless. Not much Angst… a lot about tunnels. Next chapter will be better…stick around pls!**

**Please review! **


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